Why burn seized cannabis openly at Osu beach when Ghana can sell it in legalized markets - Blakk Rasta

Accra-based radio presenter and reggae musician, Blakk Rasta has questioned the rationale behind the choice of the Osu beach as a place to burn seized cannabis, cocaine and other related contraband drugs.

For him, it is disturbing that the police and narcotics control officials chose the beach to burn such drugs, without using an incinerator.

He said the open burning of such contraband drugs will have an environmental impact on the ecosystem and could even kill some fishes in the ocean or the birds that flew over the smoke.

What happened?

Under the orders of the Accra Circuit Court, armed officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, alongside the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), on Thursday destroyed a significant haul of illicit drugs at the Osu Beach in Accra.

The operation saw 242 sacks of marijuana, 16 kilogrammes of cocaine, and buckets of heroin set ablaze as part of ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and usage in Ghana.

The narcotics, seized during operations on the high seas, were ordered to be destroyed in compliance with orders of the Accra Circuit Court given between 2020 and 2024.

The Registrar of the Circuit Court, Mr. Prosper Kingsley Damankah, supervised the exercise, ensuring the substances were properly disposed of in a bid to dismantle the networks involved in the illicit drug trade.

In addition to the sacks of compressed marijuana, the incinerated items included buckets, boxes, and bottles filled with cocaine. 

The destroyed marijuana substances had a potency of O.6, which is higher than the 0.3 used for industrial purposes.

The destruction was carried out at the seashore behind the Black Star Square in Accra.

This action is part of Ghana's broader strategy to curb the production, sale, and consumption of narcotic substances within the country.

Black Rasta's reaction

Reacting to the destruction during his Black Pot segment of his radio show on Accra-based 3FM Friday afternoon [August 9, 2024], Black Rasta said he was disappointed with the choice of the beach as the place for the destruction of the drugs.

For him, the police should have an incinerator to undertake such exercises, stressing that it was highly inappropriate for the police and sister security organisations to engage in open burning activities.

He also wondered why Ghana chose to destroy the seized contraband products than selling them to countries where those drugs are legal.

Blakk Rasta said if he was the Overlord of Accra, he would have sued the police and all the security agencies that took part in the open burning of the cannabis at the beach of Osu.